Courts / Cork / Report
"Whistleblower" tells High Court that accountancy firm made "fairly scandalous" comments
Summary
In a High Court hearing on 23 May 2017, Gerardine Scanlon, a resident of Bruhenny, Churchtown, Mallow, Co Cork, denied allegations by Grant Thornton that she had retained confidential material from a computer disk mistakenly sent to her in September 2015. Scanlon claimed the firm had made "fairly scandalous" remarks about her, including accusations that she demanded €1m to drop a case or had breached prior court orders. She presented herself as a whistleblower, asserting that Grant Thornton had breached data‑protection duties and that she possessed evidence of another breach in 2013. Grant Thornton, represented by Maurice Collins SC and Joe Jeffers BL, argued that the firm had notified the Data Protection Commissioner and complied with its directives. The firm sought to strike out Scanlon's defence and counter‑claim on the basis that they were legally unfounded. Scanlon opposed the motion, stating her defence might need amendment but should remain.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: "Whistleblower" tells High Court that accountancy firm made "fairly scandalous" comments. Procedural stage: hearing_or_decision
When:
- September 2015 Hearing Or Sentence
- December 2015 Hearing Or Sentence
- 2017-05-23 Publication
Case subjects
Applicant
Applicant
Places mentioned
- High Court
Topics
Related court reports
- Jail term upheld for man who set fire to family home
- Judge declines to strike out entirety of woman's defence
- Woman denies trying to "blackmail" accountancy firm over alleged data breach
- Court upholds sentence of mother-of-five jailed for aggravated burglary
If a fact, identity, locality or legal outcome needs review, email the newsroom with this report's details prefilled.
Email a correction request